This invention relates to automatic teller machine (ATM) kiosks, and provides an improved suspension system for such structures.
ATM devices are often installed in stand alone buildings (kiosks) and are often located in such places as shopping malls and adjacent to surface drive up lanes. Servicing of such installations requires that the ATM device be extendable from and retractable within its kiosk housing. The extended position accommodates periodic servicing including stocking the machine with adequate currency and paper for printed statements. Similarly, the extended position allows for mechanical and electrical repairs when necessary.
A variety of mechanisms have been proposed and utilized for extending and retracting an ATM device with respect to a housing. Extension generally involves projecting a base support, outwardly from the kiosk in cantilevered fashion. Such supports experience high stresses due to the cantilevered plate and the forces distributed to adjoining members. Such high stress, combined with cyclic extension and retraction, can lead to possible fatigue failure of the support structure. The provision of adequate support for the distal portion of the base is a significant design objective. Because kiosks are normally located near a surfaced drive lane, there are practical limitations, including spatial considerations, imposed upon support design. Current designs suffer from a variety of disadvantages, including cost of construction, unreliable operation and inadequate support, resulting in drooping or sagging of the baseplate. As noted above, such disadvantages may ultimately lead to failure of the support system resulting in significant expense including the cost to repair and replace the support mechanism, as well as lost down time of the ATM. Furthermore, such failure could be a safety issue for those servicing the machine.
In view of the shortcomings in the art, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus and a method of supporting ATM""s which efficiently and adequately support the ATM while allowing necessary access to the ATM for periodic servicing and maintenance. The apparatus and method should preferably be simple in design and manufacture. The apparatus and method should also be adaptable for use in various locations having spatial or other design considerations.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a straight line suspension system for housing ATM kiosks is provided which overcomes the problems of currently available support designs. A baseplate is mounted relative to a bearing surface of the floor of a kiosk for approximately horizontal extension and retraction. The inboard end of the baseplate may be supported by rollers, wheels or other sliding bearings within a track. The outboard end of the baseplate is suspended from a fixed vertical support by a system of traveling members which maintain a substantially constant elevation of the outboard edge. A hypotenuse link member connects between a pivot connection at one side of the baseplate (at its outboard edge) and a sliding pivot connection carried at the upper end of the vertical support. A structural link is connected between pivot mechanisms located at the midpoint between the pivot connections of the hypotenuse link and at base level on the vertical support, respectively. Ideally, vertical supports and the associated link members are provided at opposite sides of the baseplate. Force to extend or retract the baseplate may be provided through any convenient mechanism, including belt drives, chain drives, worm drives or other forms of gearing. Motive power for the system may be provided manually, as by a hand crank, or by any appropriately sized motor or engine.
The mechanism of this invention is ideally fashioned to incorporate a classical Scott Russel Straight-line Motion arrangement, in which one end of the hypotenuse link is permitted to travel: e.g., by being pivotally connected to a sliding block. A modification of this arrangement replaces the traveling block with an oscillating link mounted at one end to a fixed pivot located such that the oscillating link will be perpendicular to a reference line connecting the block end of the hypotenuse link and the fixed pivot end of the short link when the oscillating link is in its mid position. Other straight-line linkage arrangements may be adapted for use with this invention, but are generally more complex.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for supporting ATM""s. The method includes providing a framework for housing the ATM. A support plate is positioned within the framework in a manner adaptable to be linear movement between two positions. The first position places the support plate entirely within the framework. The second horizontally offset position allows the support plate to at least partially protrude from the framework. The plate is then simply supported rather than by cantilever. Simply supporting the plate may include coupling the plate to the frame work with a pivotal linkage assembly.